


Something Worth Dying For

by Cr0wdc0ntr01



Series: The Sibling Verse [3]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Big Bro Luci, Gen, Mentions of Cancer, Near Death, Protective Siblings, Sad with a Happy Ending, Siblings Reconnecting, Sick Character, sibling relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-10-21 01:14:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17633285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cr0wdc0ntr01/pseuds/Cr0wdc0ntr01
Summary: Part Three of the Sibling Verse!At first, she had just been unwell. Achy and sore. Her stomach upset and her appetite non-existent.“The flu,” They’d told him. Lucifer had taken his cues from those around him and tried not to worry overly.  Oh how he’d tried.No matter what he told himself, no matter that he shouldn’t care in the first place, Lucifer couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that pooled in his gut and slivered down his spine.And then he’d got the call.It was Dan who’d called him. The man sounding far graver than Lucifer had ever heard before. “It’s serious, Lucifer.”**NO SPOILERS SO READ NOTES FOR WARNINGS!!**





	1. A Worry That Never Stopped

**Author's Note:**

> Third instalment in the Sibling Verse is done! This one is written a fair bit differently to the other two, with a bit more plot surrounding the meeting, so feel free to let me know what you think! It's also longer than the others and will have multiple chapters! 
> 
> ALL WARNINGS will be posted at the BOTTOM IN THE NOTE SECTION so, if you feel you might need to, please make sure you do read it! I don't want to give the story away, it's an angsty fic, but some people might feel they need to read the warning before reading on, so...  
> ALL WARNINGS WILL BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN THE NOTE SECTION!

At first, she had just been unwell. Achy and sore. Her stomach upset and her appetite non-existent.

“The flu,” They’d told him. Lucifer had taken his cues from those around him and tried not to worry overly.  Oh how he’d tried.

No matter what he told himself, no matter that he shouldn’t care in the first place, Lucifer couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that pooled in his gut and slivered down his spine. With no way of confronting the emotion, Lucifer had done what Lucifer did – he put some space between himself and the problem. Really, it had been almost all too easy to forget the nagging feeling pulling at the back of his mind, especially with the presence of his two younger siblings.

Gabriel and Azrael had seemingly decided that instigating a mandatory weekly catch up was essential after so long apart. Of course, more often than not, the two would end up visiting several times a week. Lux, or indeed Lucifer’s penthouse above, suddenly became their go to place when they were not otherwise preoccupied. And, despite himself, Lucifer found he did not overly mind. It was… nice to have familial relations that wanted nothing more from him than his company. Moreover, their presence had the added bonus of serving as a distraction from the niggling wrongness still buried in the back of his mind. A niggling that could be stubbornly ignored, but refused to fade completely.

And then he’d got the call.

It was Dan who’d called him. The man sounding far graver than Lucifer had ever heard before. “It’s serious, Lucifer.” Dan had said, his voice hitching and threatening to break. He hadn’t even had to explain himself because Lucifer had known already. He’d known for weeks and had simply squashed the unsettled feeling down. “She wants to see you.” Dan had added weakly.

And what could Lucifer say? Other than, “I’ll be right there.”

He’d no sooner hung up than he was extracting himself from the press of bodies in his club. Lucifer barely made time to stop and tell the bouncer on duty that he was leaving before he was rushing to his car.

Lucifer drove like a man possessed. Something was telling him he was running out of time. The anxious trickle of discomfort he’d tried so hard to ignore was back with a vengeance.

He pulled up outside the hospital in a far shorter time than it should have taken him to get from Lux to there. It was a simple matter then. He didn’t even have to stop and ask one of the nurses for the room number. Not when he could almost feel her life force calling to him. Weak but still there.

Lucifer spotted two familiar figures standing not far from her room, speaking in low tones to a white coated doctor. Even from the distance he stood, Lucifer could hear their barely contained sobs. He momentarily deliberated heading toward them and joining the conversation but in the end he opted not to. Pushing the door open silently, Lucifer entered the dimly lit hospital room.

There, sitting in the middle of a bed too large for her and looking paler than Lucifer had ever seen her before, was Trixie Decker. Lucifer paused just inside the door. This time his reluctance had nothing to do with the child and everything to do with the situation they found themselves in.

“Lucifer. You came!” She said, a pale ghost of her usual exuberance.

Her voice, weak as it was, set Lucifer moving. Trembling hands were shoved into his pockets to hide their unsteadiness as he wandered to her bedside.

“Of course I did, child.” Lucifer told her. He forced a smile to his face as he came to a stop right beside her. Trixie made grabby motions toward him and for once Lucifer didn’t hesitate. He sat himself carefully down onto the mattress alongside the child before gently pulling her against his side, curling his arm protectively around her.

They sat like that in silence for several moments. Trixie had her head leaning against his chest with her small hands under his jacket and twisted in the folds of his shirt.

“Mommy and Daddy are sad.” Trixie murmured voice interrupted the quiet.

Lucifer glanced down but could see nothing of her face, only the top of her hair. A grim frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “They’re scared.” He told her.

Trixie seemed to ponder his answer for a long moment. “Me too.” She said very quietly.

Lucifer didn’t know what to say to such an admission, so instead settled for holding her tighter. Truthfully he himself was frightened. When this child had become so important to him, he didn’t know. But she had. He cared for young Beatrice almost as much as he cared for her mother.

“Lucifer?” Trixie called quietly.

“Hmm?”

“You’re the devil, right?”

“Right.”

“If I die, you’ll visit me, won’t you?” Trixie asked, voice soft and trembling.

Lucifer felt his own mouth tremble. He turned his eyes to the ceiling and glared up at the sky beyond it. Trixie Decker was an innocent, _good_ , child. Once her soul passed she’d no doubt be headed straight for the Silver City – the one place Lucifer could not go. His presence even at the outer gate would be enough to court war, let alone to venture so far inside as to visit with her. And yet…

“Yes.” Lucifer found himself saying regardless.

“Promise?” Trixie asked. Her small shoulders were shaking, her hands tightening on his clothes.

“I promise.” Lucifer swore. His eyes blazed upward as he spoke. A promise and a warning. Because if his father wanted to take this human, this innocent child, and place her in the very place Lucifer was barred from going, He’d best be prepared for war.


	2. First and Second Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The words were pure gibberish to Lucifer. But it didn’t stop him from understanding. After all, he didn’t need fancy mortal Doctor terminology to understand that Trixie’s life was in danger. To Lucifer’s eyes, it was as if she had some unseen wound on her body and with every passing moment, more of her life force trickled out. He could hardly bare to look at her, and yet, he couldn’t bare to look away. 
> 
> So he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Next Chapter won't be up for a couple of days, solely to give myself some time to do editing, and finish this baby off before I catch up to myself! Like I said, this is a bit more plot heavy so the new sibling wont be introduced right away. I haven't tagged it yet so leave a comment if you think you know which sibling makes an apperance! 
> 
> WARNINGS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN THE NOTE SECTION!

“She has an aggressive form of Leukemia. It’s already spread to a handful of her organs, including the fluid around her brain and spine.” It was Dan who explained, sounding so very tired. The man had sounded beyond sadness, beyond even grief as he sat beside Lucifer on the small couch in Trixie’s room. Lucifer had given up his spot to Chloe. His Detective looked as if her whole world was burning, a sentiment Lucifer understood – if for different reasons.

The words were pure gibberish to Lucifer. But it didn’t stop him from understanding. After all, he didn’t need fancy mortal Doctor terminology to understand that Trixie’s life was in danger. To Lucifer’s eyes, it was as if she had some unseen wound on her body and with every passing moment, more of her life force trickled out. He could hardly bare to look at her, and yet, he couldn’t bare to look away.

So he didn’t.

Lucifer sat vigil beside Chloe and Dan. Neither of the two so much as thought to ask him to leave, and for that Lucifer was beyond grateful.

A week past in which he sat at Trixie’s bedside. He watched as she grew frailer, as her limbs began to swell, and she was forced to fight for every breath. Lucifer had been there to hold Chloe when her legs had given out on her as she stood sobbing outside in the corridor. He’d stood and watched Dan weep silently at Trixie’s bedside while the girl was asleep. And he’d hated every moment of it.

He sat and he’d mulled over the fact that even with his thrice damned wings attached to his back making him a feathered hood ornament, he still did not have the power to stop this. As a former arch-angel, Lucifer _did_ have healing abilities. But he was nowhere near skilled enough to extract this disease. He was as helpless as the mortals around him. Despite it all, Lucifer had held himself together. Only to be undone at the beginning of the second week.

Dan and Chloe were both out speaking with the doctor again. Lucifer had silently sat down beside Trixie and held the girl as she slept fitfully while they were gone.

“Lucifer.” Trixie breathed. Her voice nearly had Lucifer jump in fright. He hadn’t known she was awake.

“Yes, child?” Lucifer murmured softly. His hand rose of its own accord to card through her lank hair in a comforting manner.

“Lucifer,” Trixie’s voice broke as she started to cry weakly into his side. “Lucifer… I-I don’t w-want to die.” Trixie cried. It was not an unexpected statement. She’d been so very brave the last week in front of her parents. Her efforts were admirable.

Lucifer wished he had words to comfort her, but he’d never been good with human emotions. His eyes were turning blurry and there was a strange tightness to his throat as his hands began to tremble. Trixie’s breathing was becoming hitched and no doubt painful as her hiccupped sobs filled the room.

“Hush, Beatrice. Close your eyes and try to sleep.” Lucifer instructed lowly. He forced his hand to resume its motion in her hair even as he willed the tears building in his eyes to fade. It wasn’t long after Trixie’s breathing evened out that Chloe and Dan entered the room again.

The moment they did, Lucifer was quick to extract himself from the child’s hold. Suddenly the room was suffocating and Lucifer needed _out_.

“Lucifer?” Chloe asked, voice husky and worn in a way he’d come to expect over the last week. But Lucifer didn’t stop to voice a reply. Instead, he manouvered around the two grey faced parents and fled from the room.

He moved blindly through the hospital only stopping when suddenly fresh air pelted across his face. Somehow Lucifer had found himself on the hospital roof. It didn’t take him long to figure out why he was there.

His gaze turned to the sky, the movement enough to send the tears building in his eyes on a track down his cheeks. Lucifer stood silent but for the sound of his own heavy breathing for several long seconds. He eventually moved further onto the roof until he was standing nearly in the centre.

“Why are you doing this?!” With Chloe so nearby, Lucifer felt his throat burn with the intensity of his sudden shouting. “She’s just a child! What has she ever done to deserve this?” Lucifer continued to scream at the sky. He was turning slowly on the spot as he yelled up at his Father. “Are you punishing me?! Is that it? Taking away the ones I lo-” His voice failed him. Turning his head downward, Lucifer dragged his dry palm down his face, feeling the moisture lines on both his cheeks.

As suddenly as it had come the anger left him. His thoughts turned once again to the feeling of utter helplessness that had resided in him the last few days.

But that wasn’t completely true either. He wasn’t entirely helpless. There was still one thing he could try, however unlikely it might be that it would work.

“I don’t know if this was your plan all along, or if you’re even listening, but Dad, I-”, Lucifer took a deep breath before turning his head skyward once more, “I’ll do anything. _Anything_.” Lucifer stopped to swallow the scream building in his throat. “Heal her. And I’ll do anything you want. Just name your price.” Lucifer remained silent as he waited.

“ ** _Please_**!” He screamed when several minutes had passed without any kind of response.

Lucifer watched the fluffy white clouds as they tracked a path through the sky. He watched his own creation warm the world around him and set the sky to look a cheerful blue. And he wished. He wished and prayed with all his being that his Father would listen. That just this once, He would listen.

In the end, Lucifer stood there for a very long time, hours in fact.

Predictably, the Heavens remained silent and no response came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN MENTION AND SOME DESCRIPTION OF CANCER IN A CHILD. PLEASE BE AWARE AND USE YOUR DISCRETION AS TO WHETHER THIS IS SUITABLE FOR YOU! 
> 
> Let me know what you thought! And don't forget to guess if you think you've figured out who's coming for family dinner ;)


	3. O' Brother Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that night, when all three mortals had slipped into the dubious comfort of unrestful sleep, Lucifer found himself joined by his younger brother, Gabriel. Between one moment and the next the younger angel appeared, perching on the small sofa next to Lucifer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied! Upon doing some editing and deciding where I was going to split the chapters, I realised this one will be super short! Which means you get it now instead of later.   
> Still, haven't quite given away who's coming so feel free to guess still! And be sure to let me know what you think.
> 
> WARNINGS ARE FOUND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN THE NOTES SECTION!

Later that night, when all three mortals had slipped into the dubious comfort of unrestful sleep, Lucifer found himself joined by his younger brother, Gabriel. Between one moment and the next the younger angel appeared, perching on the small sofa next to Lucifer.  

“Lucifer,” Gabriel greeted, his voice pitched low in consideration for the mortals sleeping not far away.

“Gabriel,” Lucifer responded numbly. He did not tear his eyes from the, even now, slowly fading life force that was Beatrice Decker.

“Azrael sends her best. She- she did not think her presence would be appreciated given the circumstances.” Gabriel hesitantly relayed.

Lucifer snorted. No, the angel of Death surely would not be an appreciated presence given the circumstances. He supposed he should be glad that she’d had the foresight to realise as such. Frayed as he was, Lucifer is unsure whether he would have been able to stop himself from lashing out if she had come. It would undoubtedly have been an explosion of rage unfairly aimed at an all too innocent victim for no other reason than Lucifer’s inability to separate his sister’s comforting presence from her Father given duty. Certainly, it would have set their tentatively rebuilding relationship back several steps.

When he remained silent but for the single snort, Gabriel continued to speak. “I am sorry, brother.”

For the first time, Lucifer pulled his eyes away to look toward his brother. “Did _He_ send you?” Lucifer asked, hating himself for the pitiful desperate hope he could not keep from his voice. Gabriel swallowed before turning his eyes away. He could not meet the desperate red-rimmed eyes of his older brother.

Since the beginning of time itself, Gabriel had dutifully served as his Father’s messenger. He had delivered the word of God during his Father’s Old Testament days, and so was no stranger to unpleasant missives. But never before had he truly appreciated how mercilessly simple words could cut. Not until he was faced with destroying his favourite brother’s last speck of hope. “No.” The younger angel croaked out quietly.

Nodding, Lucifer turned his head rather jerkily to continue his vigil on Beatrice.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel breathed. Although he did not share his brother’s love for their Father’s mortal creations, his heart still ached for the pain Lucifer suffered.

“Why?” Lucifer replied. His voice was noticeably brittle when he spoke but the ever-prideful Devil did not have the energy to try masking it. Gabriel opened his mouth as if to speak but Lucifer quickly continued, interrupting whatever his brother might have said.  “ _Why_ would He do this? What grievous wrong has the spawn committed to deserve _this_?”

Gabriel wished he had words to offer comfort to his brother, but he did not. The younger angel’s complete faith in their Father would offer Lucifer no comfort – so he did not voice it. Instead, he placed his hand on Lucifer’s forearm, squeezing gently.

“Is he-,” Lucifer’s breathing picked up, “is this my doing? Is Father using her to punish me?”

“ _No_!” Gabriel gasped out, horrified. His voice perhaps a touch too loud if the way Dan shifted in his sleep was any indication. Lucifer sent a warning glance his way, feeling distantly pleased to note Gabriel making an effort to lower his volume when he next spoke. “No, Lucifer. You mustn’t think like that. This is – this is _not your fault_.”

Something very vulnerable flashed across Lucifer’s face. He hid the expression quickly so his younger brother would not see. Elbows resting on his knees, Lucifer leant forward until he was almost bent double, his face completely covered by his hands. “Then _why_?” He asked, a touch desperate.

A long moment of silence passed before Lucifer felt Gabriel’s hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know, brother. I wish I did, but I do not.” When Lucifer’s breathing turned ragged, Gabriel did nothing more than tighten his hold on his shoulder.

Together they remained on silent vigil until morning light began to brighten the room outside.

Lucifer looked to his brother with blurry eyes, offering him a thin-lipped smile. “You should go. They’ll wake soon.”

Gabriel nodded slowly in acceptance but his eyes did not move from Lucifer’s face. After a long moment, the younger of the two sighed before sitting forward. “I do not have the ability to fix this for you, brother, but should you have need of me you need only ask. I will come.”

Lucifer dipped his head in the barest of nods. No sooner had he done so than Gabriel disappeared with naught but the fading sound of rustling feathers. Lucifer stared at the space his brother occupied for several long seconds feeling oddly bereft at his departure. Shaking himself as if hoping to dispatch the strange emotion, Lucifer turned jerkily away, his gaze locking on the too pale occupant of the too big bed.

Alone now, he resumed his silent vigil.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTINUES THEMES FROM THE FIRST TWO CHAPTER (SICK CHILD, CANCER)
> 
> Alright, well, enjoy I suppose. Let me know what you thought, or if you've figured out which sibling I have coming to town.


	4. The Last Ember Of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What are you doing here?” Lucifer asked, his voice hoarse. He did not so much as turn to see which of his siblings had come to ogle at him.
> 
> After all, it wasn’t every day one could see the sight of the Devil himself mourning for a human life.
> 
> “I expected you to call,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty then! Another chapter for you wonderful folks. I reckon there'll be another two-ish? Probably. 
> 
> Kudos to the people who guessed the identity of Lucifer's visitor correctly!

By midway through the third week, Trixie had deteriorated remarkably.

Lucifer struggled to place the enthusiastic child he had inexplicably grown fond toward with the one now currently laying listlessly in a hospital bed. It wasn’t just the youngest Decker who’d been affected though. It almost seemed as if somehow Trixie was using her parent’s life force to keep her there with them as both Dan and Chloe were looking nearly as sickly as their child.

Had Lucifer been able to see himself, he would have realised he looked equally sick.

Currently, Lucifer was the only one awake in the hospital room. The windows outside were dark with the late hour as the small family slept. It was Dan’s turn to sit snuggled up to Trixie while Chloe took the seat closest to her daughter’s bed. The Detective had her forehead resting against the child’s mattress, her hand was outstretched to hold her daughter’s firmly.

Lucifer, meanwhile, stood in the corner of the room. He had been pacing back and forth for the last hour but had come to an abrupt stop. Now he simply stood gazing at his humans. His thoughts had taken on a rather depressing line of thinking as he pondered the inevitability that each of his friends would eventually leave him. It was because of these dark thoughts that it took Lucifer a moment or two to realise he was no longer the sole angelic presence in the room. Without even looking, he could already tell it was not the easily recognisable presence of either Gabriel or Azrael.

“What are you doing here?” Lucifer asked, his voice hoarse. He did not so much as turn to see which of his siblings had come to ogle at him.

After all, it wasn’t every day one could see the sight of the Devil himself mourning for a human life.

“I expected you to call,” A smooth voice cut the relative silence of the room.

Lucifer spun to face his brother, his eyes wide. He gaped slightly as he drank in the sight of his younger brother, Raphael. Lucifer had not laid eyes on this particular brother since before the fall, but that was not the cause of the surge of hope traitorously building in his chest. No. The reason Lucifer felt such elevation at the sight of this particular brother was Raphael’s speciality. Just as Lucifer had once been known as the Light-Bringer, Raphael was known as the Healer.

If anyone could heal Beatrice, it was Raphael.

Lucifer swallowed as he realised his brother was still awaiting a response. Raphael had one of his dark brows lifted expectantly even as he smiled bemusedly at Lucifer’s gaping expression. Closing his mouth, Lucifer let his tongue dart out to moisten his dry lips.

“If I had called, would you have answered?” Lucifer asked, cocking his head to the side.

Raphael blinked languidly. “ _Yes_.” He replied.

Lucifer might have said something in response but his eyes were once more drawn to the mortal occupants of the room at a flicker of movement. Dan was shuffling in his sleep and Chloe shifted slightly in her chair.

“Can you help her?” Lucifer asked. His voice was tight even as he refused to meet his brother’s gaze. It didn’t stop him from feeling Raphael’s gaze practically burning a hole into the side of his face.

“Why do you care for these mortals so?” Raphael wondered.

Lucifer turned a glare on his brother that lacked most of its usual heat. Tiredness had sapped much of his anger from him. “They’re my friends.”

“Truly?”

“ _Yes_.” Lucifer grit out. “Can you cure her?”

Raphael took his time in responding. He seemed to be far too engrossed in examining Lucifer. Preferring that than answering the question.

“ _Raphael_.” Lucifer snapped, turning to look at his brother. Unknowingly his voice had risen as his patience began to wear thin. “ _Can you help her or not_?”

“Lucifer?” Chloe’s voice suddenly interrupted. Lucifer spun to see both her and Dan looking at him groggily. His eyes quickly found Trixie and a relieved breath escaped him upon realising he had not accidentally awoken the child.

“Who’s that?” Dan asked quietly. The man was gently manoeuvring himself out from his daughter's hold to stand beside the bed.

“He’s a healer.” Lucifer explained at once. He consciously lowered his tone to match Dan’s hushed one. “He’ll need to examine your offspring.” Lucifer added.

“Yes. Of course.” Raphael agreed as he took his cue to move beside Trixie’s bedside. Both Dan and Chloe moved to stand beside Lucifer in order to give Raphael more room to work.

“He’s not one of the regular doctors.” Chloe commented quietly.

“No.” Lucifer agreed. “He’s a… specialist of sorts.”

“A specialist?” She asked, eye brows raised.

“Hmm,” Lucifer hummed his agreement only half paying attention. Most of his focus was on Raphael and his slowly frowning face. “Well?” Lucifer demanded the moment his brother had stepped away from the still soundly sleeping child.

Lucifer could read the answer from the saddened expression on Raphael’s face. He could see the disappointment etched into the other angel’s eyes even before he opened his mouth. Still, when Raphael spoke the words felt like a blow to Lucifer’s chest.

“I’m sorry.” Raphael murmured.

“No.” Lucifer denied immediately.

“She’s too far gone, Luci.”

“No!” Lucifer snarled quietly as he closed the distance between himself and his brother. In moments, Lucifer had twin fistfuls of the shirt Raphael wore as he pulled his brother off his feet and held him hanging in the air. It was a blessing that both Daniel and Chloe were at Lucifer’s back so they did not see as his eyes flashed a fiery red for the first time in months. “You are the angel of _healing_. _So heal her_!” Lucifer ordered.

Raphael looked calm even with mere inches between him and a confrontational Lucifer. “She is too weak, brother. Her body does not have the strength for me to heal her.” Raphael explained calmly.

“Lucifer,” Chloe called. “Lucifer stop!” She ordered from just behind him. Her small hand lay flat on his back. Lucifer stiffened under the contact.

“This is Beatrice’s last chance, Detective.” He told his partner stiffly. “Her only chance.”

“There’s nothing I can do, Luci.” Raphael said, placing his hands over Lucifer's.

Lucifer’s brain spun quickly. Ideas came fast and were dismissed just as quickly until he alighted on an idea he was sure would work. His hands loosened as he let Raphael go. The other angel fell gracefully back onto his feet, taking a moment to straighten his rumpled clothing.

“You said she was too weak, that she does not have the strength.” He parroted back to his brother. Raphael’s hesitant nod had him continuing. “So take mine.”

Raphael’s dark brows furrowed in confusion, “Take your-?”

“Strength. Use my strength to heal her.”

“That’s not how it works, man.” Dan told him from not far away.

Lucifer ignored him in favour of watching the surprise and consideration flashing across Raphael’s face. That the other had not shot the idea down immediately spoke of the potential possibility, however slim.

After a long moment, Raphael shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Why not?!” Lucifer demanded. The Devil was seconds from returning to physically confronting his brother.

“It’s too risky.”

“She’s already dying!”

“For you, you fool. It’s too risky for you!” Raphael snapped.

Lucifer felt his eyes flicker toward red again. “That _doesn’t_ matter!” He argued stubbornly.

Raphael opened his mouth to argue back but stopped himself to take a deep breath. The younger angel was visibly gathering himself before offering a response. “Lucifer,” he paused again for another deep breath, “ _brother_ , I have never attempted such a thing before. I do not know how much of your energy I would need to siphon, but I’d wager the amount would be significant.”

“My strength will return with rest.” Lucifer dismissed his brother's concerns.

Raphael’s almond coloured eyes flashed with annoyance for a moment before he took another deep breath. “Yes. But you very well may not survive the initial drain. If I don’t drain you completely, the shock might be enough to kill you.” Raphael explained.

“ _Might_ be.” Lucifer repeated what he felt were the key words here. “Whereas if we do nothing Beatrice will _certainly_ die.”  

Raphael regained that oddly perplexed look in his eyes as he stared at his brother once again. A small frown was pulling at the younger angel’s lips as he carefully thought of his reply. “That is what mortals do, brother. It is how our Father designed them.” Raphael reminded gently.

“Enough!” Chloe’s voice suddenly broke into their conversation. She bustled her way to stand between them. Lucifer was shocked to see tears building in his Detective’s blue eyes. “Okay? That’s enough. If you guys want to talk crazy, then just-” She stopped to take a breath as her lip wobbled dangerously. “My daughter needs rest. Please, just take it somewhere else.” She pleaded shakily.

Lucifer stared at the Detective for several long seconds before nodding. “You’re right, of course. Raphael,” Lucifer nodded in the direction of the hallway.

The two angels shuffled from the room. The last thing Lucifer seen before he closed the hospital door behind him was Dan embracing a quietly crying Chloe. Something hard solidified in Lucifer’s chest. If Doctor Martin had been there, she’d no doubt have helped him recognise the emotion. But for now, Lucifer was fine with labelling it stubbornness and using it accordingly.

He turned to face Raphael, his face set and eyes hard. He didn’t need words. Lucifer knew the years of separation would not have stripped Raphael’s ability to read his face in the way brothers could. By that same method, Lucifer could read the reluctance and slight fear etched onto Raphael’s face too.

“Lucifer, _please_. Do not make me do this.” Raphael pleaded softly.

“If we do nothing, she will die.”

“And go to the Silver City, hardly a bad fate.”

“She’s too young!” Lucifer snapped back.

Raphael offered no instant response as he merely stared silently at Lucifer for several long moments. It irked Lucifer to no end that they were wasting time when even now he could feel Beatrice’s life force wanning.

“Understand, Lucifer, this could kill you.” Raphael pleaded in one last attempt. “Not send you back to Hell. _Kill you._ We’re talking end of existence, pure nothingness, _death_.”

Lucifer swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down. But his resolve was resolute and his stance unmoved. “We do it now. Before she grows weaker.” Lucifer said firmly.

Raphael looked away.

“Raphael!” Lucifer barked sharply. “ _We do it_ _now_.”

Reluctantly his brother turned back to him. “Very well.”


	5. Healing Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE IN THE NOTE SECTION!
> 
> Hey guys. I'm finally back, or at least I'm trying. Sorry for the break and thank you to everyone for your kind words and understanding. There is still one last chapter to go after this one until the third installement is complete!

Lucifer had led the way back into the room.

Raphael had followed with his head down. His lips moved rapidly as he muttered quiet prayers to their father for strength and a good outcome. Normally, Lucifer might have told him to stop such nonsense, but now… well, he figured they could use all the help they could get.

Both Chloe and Dan were still standing. They were beside Trixie’s bedside, Dan’s arm around Chloe as the two parents simply gazed at their sleeping daughter.

Lucifer quietly cleared his throat to get their attention to him. He waited for both of them to turn to him before speaking, although his eyes mostly stayed locked with the Detective’s.

“I need you both to trust me, and to step outside for a moment.” Lucifer requested lowly.

“What? Why?” Dan spluttered. Lucifer didn’t offer him a response. Instead he gazed steadily into Chloe’s eyes and pleaded with her to _trust him_. He tried to tell her with gaze alone that this was her child’s best chance, her only chance.

“We believe we have devised a way to heal your daughter, Mr Espinoza.” Raphael explained in Lucifer’s place.

“Heal her?” Chloe asked, although she did not look to Raphael. Her eyes continued to drill into Lucifer, begging for this to be true.

“Yes.” Lucifer said, and it was a promise.

“How?” Dan demanded. He took a step toward them, sounding desperate enough to try anything. Even if it was indulging Lucifer and his usual crazy.

“The offspring does not have the time enough left for us to explain it, Daniel.” Lucifer told him. For the first time he turned toward Dan. Lucifer found himself warring as to whether he should smile comfortingly or frown, faced with the hope and desperation he could see flashing in Dan’s eyes in equal amounts.

“We’re staying.” Chloe announced with finality. Lucifer spun to face her, a protest on his lips only for her to continue. “I trust you, Lucifer.” She assured him. “I do. But I can’t- I can’t leave my daughter.”

Lucifer swallowed his protests. He turned to look at his brother with a raised eyebrow. Raphael frowned with a heavy sigh.

“It’s not how things are properly done – so of course, you’re asking.” Raphael grumbled with a roll of his eyes but he nodded his head all the same. Lucifer grinned weakly at his brother before turning back to face the Detectives.

“Stand against the back wall.” Lucifer ordered briskly. “And if at some point either of us orders you to cover your eyes, you must do so.” Lucifer added as they moved to comply. He waited until he’d received a nod from both parents before turning to follow Raphael closer to Trixie’s bed.

“Alright,” Raphael murmured with a steadying breath. “You should kneel.” Raphael directed Lucifer to kneel on the floor at the head of Trixie’s bed. Lucifer did so, uncharacteristically not commenting on his designer pants being ruined. “Hold her hand in yours.” Raphael instructed. As Lucifer took her hand, Raphael laid his palm over her forehead and his other hand over her chest. Right before he got started, Raphael turned to Lucifer.

“Do it.” Lucifer ordered, reading the hesitation in his brother’s eyes.

Raphael nodded, gulping. The other angel turned back to Trixie and closed his eyes. His lips moved quickly although his words were too quiet to hear. Lucifer watched as a golden glow began to shine from Raphael’s palms to be sucked into Trixie.

“Dear God,” Dan murmured lowly while Chloe merely sucked in a sharp breath.

Lucifer continued to watch silently. After a long while of chanting, Raphael moved the palm covering Trixie’s chest to lay along Lucifer’s forehead. The moment he did, Lucifer felt a strange tugging sensation centring in his forehead. The sensation grew in intensity until it felt as though someone was trying to suck his life force out through his forehead using nothing but a bendy straw. Lucifer’s vision had fogged, his ears ringing. He wasn’t aware that he’d grunted at the initial contact. Nor was he aware that as it progressed his breathing had begun to become increasingly erratic. Toward the end, low moans were being ripped unknowingly from his lips, to turn into short lived cries of pain.

Raphael continued the healing despite his brother’s loudening cries. He knew that they would receive only one try at this. No matter what happened as a result, Raphael was determined to see his brother’s wish through.

Chloe had tears on her cheeks as Lucifer’s quiet cries turned into a full on scream of pain. Her partner’s whole body trembled violently but he did not try to move away. He knelt in the same place, gently cradling Trixie’s hand even as whatever they were doing hurt him so.

It felt like the moment lasted a life time. Lucifer’s screams bounced around the room, lodging deeply into the minds of the three fully conscious individuals to revisit them many a times in their nightmares. It must have been divine intervention that not a single member of the hospital's night staff interupted. 

Sweat had gathered on Raphael's lined forehead, his face was twisted in deep concentration, when suddenly a grunt escaped him. And then, quite suddenly, Lucifer stopped screaming. The absence of the noise was deafening. Raphael’s eyes snapped open. The healer’s hand came away from Trixie even as he moved lightening quick to catch Lucifer’s limp form.

Hesitantly, Chloe took a step forward.

“Is she-?” Chloe couldn’t bring herself to finish.

For a moment, it seemed as if Raphael might not have heard her. The healer had fallen quickly to his knees in order to support Lucifer’s boneless body. He had his arms wrapped tightly around Lucifer’s middle in an almost parody of a hug, Lucifer’s head flopping forward to lay against his shoulder as if to complete the image.

“What?” Raphael looked up almost distractedly from his ministrations. It was only then that Chloe noticed the tears in the healer’s eyes. Forest green eyes swam in liquid that he was too stubborn to let fall. “I-, Yes.” Raphael nodded once. “The child will be fine. I fixed her biological coding, and I siphoned enough of Lucifer’s energy to heal the damage done to her body. She will be tired for a time but will, with plenty of rest, recover.” He rattled off quickly with experience of one who had millennia practising the art of healing.

Chloe’s next breath came ragged as she tried to supress a sob of relief. “And- and Lucifer?” Chloe asked wetly. Hands shaking she brought them up to cover her mouth. “Is he okay?” She asked breathlessly. She stared at her partner, slumped in unconsciousness against his brother, and could not place him as the biblical figure known as the Devil. How could she ever believe this man, this wonderful selfless man, could be anything resembling evil after what he had just done?

“I don’t know.” Raphael’s words were hesitant and shaky as he clutched his brother.

“Wha-?” Chloe breathed.

“Mommy?” A thin voice called into the room, interrupting anything Chloe might have said. “Daddy?”

“Trix,” Dan half sobbed before he was across the room and enveloping their daughter in his arms.

Chloe’s feet took her several steps in the same direction before she stopped to turn back toward her partner. Only to freeze as she realised he was no longer on the floor with his brother. Spinning around, Chloe’s eyes swept the room.

Lucifer and his brother were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN MENTION AND SOME DESCRIPTION OF CANCER IN A CHILD. PLEASE BE AWARE AND USE YOUR DISCRETION AS TO WHETHER THIS IS SUITABLE FOR YOU!
> 
> Sorry it's a little short - I'm mostly trying to just get back on the horse with this chapter. Let me know what you guys thought!

**Author's Note:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A SICK CHILD. PLEASE BE AWARE AND USE YOUR DISCRETION WHETHER IT'S SUITABLE FOR YOU.


End file.
